colour in wallpaper

This is a bit of frivolous one but I couldn't resist after receiving a sheet of this colour your own recycled wallpaper this morning. Introduced to me by the lovely folk at Papergrain, Nineteen Seventy Three also offer a range of post consumer waste cards, postcards and giftwrap. In fact, Furochic is a new alternative to wrapping paper - reusable material gift wrap that requires no selotape and comes in a range of gorgeous big, bold floral designs. I fancy papering a wall with the Jon Burgerman wallpaper and having a family and friends colour-off but know only too well what happens when I introduce my kids to a labouriously papered wall - out come the fingernails and the malicious intent. They can't help picking at it. We're sticking with paints for now...

natural decorating

I get zillions of emails every day from people who are doing exciting green things. Today I received a press release about these new natural paints. They look really interesting - a new range of natural paints, available in nearly 100 colours, that come in powdered form in paper packaging - how cool. Free from petrochemicals, phthalates and formadehyde, they are made from natural extracts and minerals with non-toxic pigments. You simply mix the dry powder with water and then apply, and apparently they are quick drying and easy to use. Naturepaint founder Ross Harling says, "Even the clean up process it easier [compared with regular paints], as it rinses out with water and any leftovers biodegrade with garden compost - and no tins means nothing is added to landfill sites." Prices start at £10.66 for a 400g bag, which makes a litre of paint. Ooh, there's even a YouTube video on how to mix up the paint - reminds me of those poster paints you get at playschool!